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New: APEX EC-7 wheel released

32K views 45 replies 24 participants last post by  Expert@ApexWheels 
#1 ·


APEX is proud to introduce its new EC-7 wheel. This new wheel addresses the concerns of more and more racers and track day enthusiasts: long term durability, fit and performance. With the increase of faster and heavier cars being used in racing, HPDEs, and spirited driving, the EC-7 was designed and engineered to handle extreme abuse on track and street, offer a wide range of direct fitments, while producing a lightweight wheel. The new features offered make the EC-7 the perfect compliment to the APEX ARC-8.

Anthracite Finish Profile 3


An optimized car setup begins with the perfect wheel fitment. Without the perfect offsets, maximum tire widths and the potential of your car are always compromised. With this in mind, the EC-7 has three unique face profiles ranging from shallow to deep concavity resulting in 13 unique 18***8243; sizes. This wide range of fitments allows for vehicle-specific caliper clearance, offsets, and tire widths, creating the most optimal setup possible.

Available Sizes and Weights:
18x8.5" ET45 - 19.55lbs
18x8.5" ET35 - 20.10lbs
18x9.0" ET42 - 20.75lbs
18x9.0" ET31 - 21.25lbs
18x9.5" ET58 - 20.65lbs
18x9.5" ET43 - 21.55lbs
18x9.5" ET35 - 21.70lbs
18x9.5" ET22 - 21.75lbs
18x10" ET33 - 22.50lbs
18x10" ET25 - 22.45lbs
18x10.5" ET27 - 22.50lbs
18x11" ET25 - 23.35lbs

Available Finishes
Race Silver
Anthracite
Satin Black

The EC-7 adds 7 new BMW sizes not available in the ARC-8 design. The 3 face profiles offer maximum concavity and reduced weight. This avoids the common adaptation of a single face profile for unintended fitments or dependency on spacers.



The EC-7***8242;s spoke profile has been designed with a curve to provide additional caliper clearance. It can clear a BBK spacer free on applications where the ARC-8 could not. A significant improvement to the EC-7 is the increased barrel clearance that now allows for the 18***8243; version of this wheel to properly clear the Brembo 380mm BBK. A detailed list of which wheels can clear which brake kits will be made available.

Anthracite Finish Profile 2


Anthracite Finish profile 1


Just like the rest of the APEX wheel line, the EC-7 is once again produced using the Flow-Forming technique. Flow-forming, which has also been called “roll forging” or “spin forging”, produces a barrel with similar strength to that of a fully forged wheel. This significantly reduces weight in the barrel, which has the greatest impact on rotational mass. We’ve produced an even stronger wheel by combining the strength of the lightweight barrel with a more robust face design. The EC-7 welcomes endurance racing and potholes.

Designed for BMW applications, the EC-7 accepts TPMS sensors, factory lug bolts or stud conversion kits, and OEM roundel center caps. All wheels come with APEX center caps.



The EC-7 prototypes have arrived and we will be test fitting on numerous applications (fitment photos to come). After VIA crush testing and certification the expected arrival date for the first batch is July.


Satin Black Finish Profile 3


Satin Black Finish Profile 2


Satin Black Finish Profile 1


Race Silver Finish Profile 3


Race Silver Finish Profile 2


Race Silver Finish Profile 1


This thread will be used as a technical discussion for the fitment of these wheels.
 
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#13 ·
The wide range of sizes available is going to make this a popular option. Will these be the only colors available?
To start with, these will be the 3 finishes available. That is already 39 different 18" wheels we will be trying to keep in stock.

hotkarl said:
When will pricing be available?
Pricing will be available within a week

vI6ious said:
can't wait for a group buy on these
There will be a discounted pre-order for them. It will be announced in the Group Buy section when it opens.

bluewater87 said:
Can't wait to see mounted photos, they look great!

will the 18x9.5 et43 allow a 275/35 michelin pss using TCK coilovers on a e46 m3, or would it hit the coilover?
would like to have a 275 front tire, but dont want to have to run -3.0 degrees camber like we have to do with the 18x9.5 et35.
Please provide photos of a 275 tire on the 18x9.5 et43 on the front of an m3, along with the camber specs,which suspension in on the car, and tire to coilover/fender clearance.

so these wheels are much stronger than the arc8, which i why these are heavier?
Are the pricing for these wheels (same size) going to be the same as the arc8?

Thanks
18x9.5" ET43 will hit the front strut, as that was not designed for that application. The wheel we design to fit the front of the E46 M3 is 18x9.5" ET35. That is what most E46 M3 owners buy. Yes, that size can be run with a 275/35/18 and a TCK strut.

The design is stronger/more rugged for race abuse which is why the weight is slightly higher.

Is the price going to be in the same ballpark as the arc8? 250-300 per wheel? If so ill defiantly be on the july ordering list for a set of the silver!
Pricing will be close to that of the 18" ARC-8 wheels.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Can't wait to see mounted photos, they look great!

will the 18x9.5 et43 allow a 275/35 michelin pss using TCK coilovers on a e46 m3, or would it hit the coilover?
would like to have a 275 front tire, but dont want to have to run -3.0 degrees camber like we have to do with the 18x9.5 et35.
Please provide photos of a 275 tire on the 18x9.5 et43 on the front of an m3, along with the camber specs,which suspension in on the car, and tire to coilover/fender clearance.

so these wheels are much stronger than the arc8, which i why these are heavier?
Are the pricing for these wheels (same size) going to be the same as the arc8?

Thanks
 
#10 ·
Is the price going to be in the same ballpark as the arc8? 250-300 per wheel? If so ill defiantly be on the july ordering list for a set of the silver!

Sent from my DROIDX using Bimmer App
 
#12 ·
Just spoke to Eddy and although he did not quote any exact prices, it does appear that these will be similarly priced to the ARC-8's. Being a new wheel, with more fit options, I would only expect them to be a bit more in cost, which would make sense. Definitely ordering up the 9.5 ET22's, in a qty of 4, of course!
 
#23 ·
The 17" versions are not planned at this time, but there may be a possibility for them in the future!

What fitment should we be using for the rear then? Not looking for anything crazy, just a wheel with similar to stock offset/spaces etc. (minimize issues)
For an M3, the direct bolt on fitment in the rear would be the 18x10.0" ET25 with the 275/35/18 street tires in order to not have any fitment or rubbing issues. If you were planning on running R-compound tires, they will run wider so you would have to run a smaller tire. There are also some extreme summer tires that may run wider than others, such as the Hankook RS-3, that may also cause tire rubbing on the fender in the 275/35/18 size.

Some have opted to go with the 275/35/18 extreme summer tire on the 18x9.5" ET22 wheels as well, which would also be able to work on the rear of an e46 M3.
 
#16 ·
Very Nice! Cant wait to see some more installed pics. Now when are Apex going to start making light weight 19s :)
 
#26 ·
Both the 18x10" ET25 and the 18x11" ET25 share the same concave face. It may be the lighting that is making the rear seem more concave than the fronts. The center part is a little deeper on the 18x11", where your lug bolts are bolted onto, but that doesn't affect the actual face of the wheel.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Here are some pictures of a couple test fits we did with the EC-7 Wheels:

Titanium Silver M3 with Anthracite EC-7s: 18x8.5" ET35 with a 235/40-18 and 18x10" ET25 with a 275/35-18




Carbon Black M3 with Race Silver EC-7s: 18x9" ET31 with a 265/35-18 and 18x9.5" ET22 with a 265/35-18


18x9" ET31 with a 265/35-18 and 18x9.5" ET35 with a 265/35-18 and a 12mm spacer


Titanium Silver M3 with Race Silver EC-7s: 18x9" ET31 with a 265/35-18 and 18x9.5" ET35 with a 265/35-18 and a 12mm spacer




18x9" ET31 with a 265/35/18 in front and 18x9.5" ET22 with a 265/35/18 in the rear.


Pre-order closes at Midnight (PST) tonight!
 
#36 ·
I have a 2006 330 ci ZHP, it currently has the stock wheels on it, 18x8.5 et 50, 255/40/18 rear and 18x8 et 47, 225/40/18 front. I have been browsing the web for countless hours now try ing to figure out what wheels will fit my application without tire rub issues. I would like to go a little more agressive tire-wise (235-245 front & 265-275 rear), can anyone tell me what size wheels/offset will accommodate my ride without rubbing? or is this too aggressive?
 
#37 ·
there are dozens of fitments you can use. what size wheel do you want, 18 or 19? that will determine what offset range you can have.

on 18s, i believe the widest you want to go out back is 9.5 with a max offset of 35. up front, 8.5 ET35 is about as aggressive as you can go without rubbing.

if you want to run 265+ tire width out back then you need at least 9" width on the wheels. 255 on an 8.5 is about as stretched as you want on that width.
 
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